


Edward Nygma x Reader: Lab Partners

by Zyalah



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Gotham (TV)
Genre: Deviates From Canon, F/M, Friendship/Love, Gotham City Police Department, Multi, Nerdiness, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, Swearing, things are going to get real
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-07
Packaged: 2018-08-19 02:19:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8185288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zyalah/pseuds/Zyalah
Summary: Your new job in the Homicide Department of the GCPD is going to change your life.





	1. Day 1

Luck. People always have an opinion on it. For some, it is nothing more than superstition, a fallacy people create in order to place responsibility on the universe instead of themselves, and for others there is no doubt in their minds the power that luck had over everything.  
You had always been skeptical, however in this moment, as the person on the other end of the phone hung up, you couldn’t help but think you where the luckiest girl in the world. 

You fidgeted in your seat, pulling at the hem of your grey knee length pencil skirt. As you looked around Captain Essen’s office, your nerves rose up again. You had been a nervous wreck ever since you got the phone call from, Sarah Essen, telling you, you’d gotten the job as Forensic Scientist in the Homicide Department of the GCPD. You had barely gotten any sleep last night, and where currently running on adrenaline and excitement.  
Captain Essen had stepped out to get your ID Badge and your work partner. It was a rule the GCPD had, every department had two Forensic Leads, and homicide had only had one for quite sometime, Captain Essen said it had something to do with clashing personalities.  
Which was why you where so nervous, what if your personalities clashed, what if your partner hated you, your career would be over before it began.  
“Just try to act normal. Be nice.” You whispered to yourself. “Don’t forget to breathe.” As you fumbled with your hem again. 

“Sorry that took so long Miss l/n .” Captain Essen entered the office, she walked round your back to lean up against the desk in front of you.  
“No, it’s alright Captain.” You smiled up at her. A smile she reciprocated.  
“Well it is my honor, to officially welcome you to the GCPD.” Essen handed you your ID Badge, you stared at it in awe, it was so grown up and real, you could hardly believe it, you where even relieved that the picture you had taken for it had come out good, cute even.  
You attached the badge to the pen pocket of your blazer, it was official, all your years of hard work had paid off. 

Your gaze met with Essen again, and your smile fell, she was frowning at something behind you. You turned in you chair, to look at the source of her change in mood, and saw a person bolt out of your line of vision.  
“Oh for god sake Ed, get in here!” Essen yelled as she rose from the desk. You kept your eyes on the glass of the walls and door to the office, and saw the person who had tried to run, slink back into view, their shoulders hunched and their head down. Like a scolded puppy, you couldn’t help but think to yourself.  
The person stopped in front of the door, you could tell they where physically psyching themselves up. They straightened up, and raised their head as they entered, and instantly you where smitten. 

He was tall and thin, wearing a well tailored grey, tartan suit, with a plain grey lab coat over it, with an abundance of different coloured pens in his pocket. You had always had a thing for tall guys but this time the height wasn’t the reason you fell instantly. It was his beautiful face, meticulously styled brown hair matched perfectly with his strong features and perfect cheekbones, and his soft chocolate brown eyes where gorgeous behind his black half rimmed glasses. He was without doubt the most handsome man you had ever seen. The only thing that could have made his entrance better was if he actually looked at you. 

It was as if he made a point to not look at you as he strolled into the office to stand in front of the Captain. He folded his arms and gave her a smile, which even you could tell was fake.  
“Yes, Captain.” The man spoke, his voice had some gravel to it, and you thought it suited him to a t.  
“Edward Nygma, I’d like you to meet y/n l/n , starting today she will be your partner.” Essen motioned to you, and you stood quickly, your height not even coming close to his, and extended your hand out. He turned his head to you slowly, and looked you up and down.  
“It’s nice to meet you Mr. Nygma, I hope we…..” You started.  
“I don’t need a partner.” Ed quickly replied, turning his head back to the Captain. Embarrassed you slowly lowered your hand. You suddenly felt very awkward, like you had walked into a family dispute at a friends house.  
“Ed, we’ve talked about this, the official policy of the GCPD states….” Essen starts exasperated.  
“That each forensic department will be headed by two scientists, to ensure maximum efficiency.” Ed finished.  
“Correct, and how many does the Homicide department have currently Ed?” Essen asks.  
“I find I am more than capable of doing the job myself.” Ed replies.  
“No one is denying your skills Ed, you know how much your work has helped us, but the rules are there for a reason, we can’t have you burning out on us, in all honesty, this is so you can continue to do the amazing work you have been doing, maybe even more.” Essen states with a gentle tone to her voice. She places her hand on his arm and squeezes slightly. “Besides y/n here, came top in her class, was personally recommended by her Professors and she’s the only applicant to specifically ask to work Homicide.” Essen adds.  
“Why?” Ed asks.  
“Because I like a challenge Mr Nygma.” You finally pipe up, trying your best to sound confident, you give a smile as you stare into his eyes, daring him to complain, you really wanted this job and where not going to give in and quit for him, no matter how gorgeous he was.  
“Well, then it’s settled, Ed show y/n around and bring her up to speed on your current cases, I want her up and running as fast as possible.” Essen claps you both on the arm, and smiles, ending the conversation. Ed turns to say something, and Essen glares, Ed promptly closes his mouth again.  
“Yes captain.” Ed grumbles before turning to you and flashing a smile. “Miss l/n please follow me.”

You walked in silence through the GCPD, trying to take in all the information Ed was giving you, he never stopped to show you the room he was talking about, so you had to commit the layout to your brain rather quickly, you decided to focus on remembering the routes to the most important places to you, the bullpen, the lab and the records annex. One thing you did notice however was how Edward’s face lit up when he talked about the records annex office. A pang of jealousy ran through you, however you decided to ignore it, it was way too soon to get possessive over Ed, especially when he was acting like you where a nuisance to him. 

When you got to the lab, you’d had enough of his childishness. As soon as you had entered he gave a brief description of the lab equipment, what the current case was and promptly went back to work, leaving you stood by the door. It was clear to you that he felt insulted by the fact he had a partner now. Part of you was insulted that he was insulted. You decided to make it your personal mission to make him like you. 

You figured that stroking his ego would probably help break the ice, especially after his behavior in the Captains office, plus the awkward silence that had taken over since entering the lab was driving you nuts. You strolled up to him, glancing down at what he was working on, it looked like he was trying to break down the chemical compounds of some sort of drug, doubting whether now was a good time, you stood there for a moment.  
‘Stop being a chicken y/n ’ You chastised yourself internally. You let out a hefty sigh and straightened your back.  
“Mr Nygma, I know you don’t want me here, and to be honest if I was you, I’d probably be pissed as well. But I want you to know, this job is all I’ve wanted for so long, when Captain Essen called me and said I’d gotten it, I was so happy I cried. I didn’t think it could get better, but when Essen told me your name, I could have died.” You babbled, blushing as you did, you hadn’t intended on telling him this, but the words seem to fall from your mouth. Ed stopped his work, and turned in his chair to face you, a confused look spread across his face.  
“My name? Why?” He questioned. His eyes bore into yours and your blush deepened, in your nervousness you chuckled and scratched your head.  
“Professor Davies, he talks about you all the time.” You confessed.  
“You went to Gotham U?”  
“Yep.”  
“Professor Davies talks about me, why?” Ed asked. His body language shifted, from uncomfortable and stiff to more relaxed though he still seemed a little awkward. You relaxed yourself and pulled up another stool to sit next to him.  
“Oh yeah, he claims to this day, that you are the best student he ever had. In fact his grading system is based on you.” You laughed, when Ed arched an eyebrow at you. “He has something called the Passing A and the Edward A. In our classes history no-one ever scored an Edward A. You became quite the legend for us. Some people actually got scared off because of it, but for me, the way Davies talked about you, it just made me want to be better. So you may not want me here, but I’m sorry Mr Nygma, there is no place I would rather be, and no-one I’d rather be with.”  
Edwards eyes widened at you final statement, and you realised how that must sound to him. You felt that if you blushed any harder your face would set on fire. “Uh, no-one I’d rather be working with.” You quickly added in one breath. 

Edward smiled and adjusted his glasses, he took his latex gloves off and stood, wiping his sweaty hands on his trousers.  
“I am at the start of a relationship, and at the end of a deal. I can be both weak and strong. I become uncomfortable when I stay too long. What am I?” He gave you expecting smile.  
You thought for a moment before reciprocating his smile.  
“A handshake.” You answered, as you stood.  
“Correct.” He cheered, as he held out his hand. You promptly took it. “I’m Edward Nygma, and sorry, for my behavior Miss l/n .”  
“Don’t worry about it, and please call me y/n .” You dropped his hand, both of you smiling at each other, the air in the lab instantly cleared.  
“Welcome to the GCPD, Miss y/n .”

It was official, the past 48 hours had proven it, you where the luckiest girl in Gotham.


	2. Day 7

"Fuck me sideways!" You yell to yourself as you try to make your way through the human traffic on the streets. You were holding your package tightly to your chest. Trying not to squish the contents, and get back to the lab quickly.   
You just had to volunteer to get lunch for you and Ed today, and it just had to be the day you decided to wear heels. You were very close to pushing people out of the way, some people where just so rude, and this lunch was too important to mess up. 

Your mission to make Edward Nygma like you was going great. Today marks the end of your first week at the GCPD, it had been a frustrating week to say the least. The case you and Ed had been working on had been leading you and the Detectives Bullock and Gordon down multiple dead ends, trying to find out what exactly had killed your victim was driving you crazy, and causing many nights of over time. However that had worked in your favour, as it meant more time to get to know Ed, finding out about his interests and hobbies, his love of riddles and games, and in doing so it had cemented your crush on him in deep within your heart. Which made finding out about his crush on Kristen Kringle a little heartbreaking.   
You hadn't met her yet because every time you needed a file Ed would run off to the Records Annex for you. Part of you was trying to convince yourself that he was doing it to impress you, or make you like him more, but you knew it was so he could see her, and from the downtrodden face he would always come back with, she did not reciprocate the feelings. Which gave you hope, that maybe one day Ed would see you that way too.

Which brings you back to why you had volunteered to get lunch, you had never given any thought to the idea that 'the way to a mans heart is through his stomach', but you where willing to give anything a shot. You really wanted Ed to like you, he was so different from any man, no, any person you had met. He was so very kind and caring, and a great mind, one of the greatest Gotham had ever seen, and yet he was always trying to make friends, involve people in his passions, even when they didn't seem to care, it was something that made many people think he's weird and socially inept, but for you it rang close home.   
You had trouble making friends a lot of the time, your focus on achieving your career goals had the habit of alienating you from a lot of your high school and collage peers. You had a few friends here and there, but none you felt had a understanding of your passions and eccentricities, not like Edward did. 

On your third day in the lab, Ed had walked in on you talking to a severed hand, you where making lame jokes to it, like asking if it needed a hand, asking if it knew the sound of one hand clapping, and calling it Mrs Nesbitt. When you heard Ed laugh, you promptly dropped the hand, and tried to get a less weird explanation out, but Ed stopped you and confessed that anytime a skull comes into the lab he recites the speech from Hamlet. You both came to the conclusion that making jokes helped alleviate the seriousness, and darkness that came with the job. That was also the day you started calling him Ed, instead of Edward. You decided your next step in the relationship was nicknames, you had already decided on Eddie for him, you just had to figure out the best time to pull it out. You had figured that a week was way too soon, even if you where feeling this connection, there was no way of telling if he reciprocated, so you where saving it. Maybe a good time would be your first major breakthrough in the lab. Or when you spend some time together outside of work. You came to the conclusion that you would feel the right time in your heart.

You finally made your way back to the lab, un-squished food in hand, you where greeted by and eager smiling Ed, and it warmed your heart, so much you couldn't help smiling back.   
"Welcome back Miss y/n." Ed said cheerily.   
"Sorry it took so long Ed, sidewalk traffic was crazy." You laughed and Ed chuckled. You walked over and placed the food down on the desk. You had stopped off at a cute cafe that you frequented, and it was the reason it had taken you so long to get back. You had gotten you both amazing toasted panini's with fresh juice and donuts. You where just praying that Ed actually like it. From the past week of lunches you had figured out really quickly that he was a picky eater, but you yourself had specific tastes and you loved this cafe, so you had high hopes.   
"Looks great." Ed said as he picked up one of the sandwiches, he peeled back the wrapper and examined the contents, he gave it a quick sniff before shrugging and taking a big bite. You waited on baited breath, praying that he liked it. It seemed crazy for you to be so worried about him liking a sandwich but you didn't want to be associated with a bad taste in his mouth. You wanted to be a good one.   
'Stop thinking like that y/n.' You chastised yourself, 'You are barely even friends right now, don't push it. Besides he likes Kristen.' You sighed inwardly. A sigh that quickly turned into a smile when you realised Ed was happily eating lunch.   
"You like it?" You ask, staring to eat your own lunch. Ed turns to you and smiles, happily nodding.   
"This is delicious, where did it come from?" He asks between bites.   
"A small cafe near where I live. It's a nice little place, Bette's Cafe, and the elderly couple who run it are so nice." You smile.   
"y/n you live 4 miles away!" Ed sputters.   
"Yeah I uh guess..." You blush.   
"But you don't own a car....you walked 4 miles to get lunch?" Ed says, staring straight into your eyes, with slight confusion.   
"Well, you've been really stressed on this case, I wanted to cheer you up and every time I eat at Bette's it cheers me up. Plus I needed you to know you're not alone anymore, half of your work burdens are mine now. We will figure this out, and we will do it with satisfied stomachs." You put your hand on his in a comforting manner and squeeze.   
"You're quite extraordinary y/n." Ed smiles turning his hand in yours to squeeze back, and your heart flutters.   
"Only because I'm trying to keep up with you Ed." You brush the compliment off, one thing you've never been good at is taking compliments. Even when they are as sincere as Ed was being.   
"No I mean it, nobody has even gone to such lengths to make me feel better it's...." Ed shyly tells you.   
"It's because we're partners. No, it's because we're friends silly." You laugh. "Or maybe I just wanted to poison you."   
Ed suddenly stops, drops his sandwich down into the wrapper, and stares at you.   
"Poison." He says in realization.   
"What?" You ask confused. Ed suddenly rushes to the evidence and work on the back table that has been plaguing you both for the past week.   
"He was poisoned!" He laughs. You quickly drop your lunch and join him.   
"But they both drank the same drink. We've already ruled this out."   
"Unless..." He turns to you, his eyes begging you to reach the same revelation he had. You looked back over the evidence, the contradictory autopsy reports, the glasses, one with melted ice in...  
"Oh my god! The ice cubes, they had the poison in them!" You exclaim.   
"Exactly, she put the poison in the ice cubes, than drank her drink quickly, so her ice wouldn't melt and taint her drink, however our poor victim took his time to saver it, the ice cubes melted, thus releasing the poison. Brilliant!" Ed claps his hands together in glee. You loved watching him have his breakthroughs, seeing the gears turn in his head, and his eyes light up, it made enduring the darkness of your job so much easier.   
Ed quickly turns pulling you into a quick, tight hug. It was too quick for you to react to it, but it was warm, inviting, and felt so right. He holds you at arms length, beaming at you, which is infectious and you can't help beaming back.   
"What was that for?" You laugh.   
"You cracked it." He smiles.   
"No silly, you cracked it, I just brought you lunch." You shake your head and roll your eyes. Ed drops his hands from your arms and adjusts his glasses.  
"Well then y/n, tomorrows lunch is on me. I know a good place."   
"Deal. But no onions, I hate onions." You reply and he nods. "Now let's go tell Gordon." You say excitedly as you link your arm through his and almost skip off. You are so thrilled about how this week turned out, that the fact you are walking with Ed in linked arms doesn't cross you mind, and you certainly do not notice the small blush creeping over Mr. Edward Nygma's face as you walk through the GCPD together. 

You had solved a case, found out you and Ed had similar taste in food, and gotten a hug from him all in one lunch break. Today was the new contender for best day ever.


End file.
